Midnight's Sweet Kiss (5 page)

Sophie did a quick sweep by the three bedrooms and glanced into the enormous bathroom with a walk in shower and long countertop with dual sinks. She finished her tour in the kitchen with its stainless steel appliances and a wine bar. The guy had an incredible pad that put her old condo to shame. He must make a good living as a cabbie, she thought.

She faintly heard the front door close and then Noah stood across from her in the kitchen, a handful of mail in his hand.

“What’s the verdict?”

“It’s nice. I’ll be fine here for the night.”

“Great.” He tossed his mail onto the counter and glanced at his watch. “It’s a little early for going out. I know you mentioned needing to work on a speech or something. I can leave you alone if you’d like to work, or it’s up to you. I’m flexible.”

“If you don’t mind I’d just like to sit and chat for a bit. My headspace is all wrong for trying to concentrate.”

And her hormones were definitely making it difficult to concentrate on anything but the build of his body beneath his clothes. Being in his house made her even more aware of the attraction she had for him. She tried to reason that it was a knee-jerk response. That it was temporary and brought on by a cheating ex. Only, she knew her feelings were very real. At least the physical ones. Emotionally she was driven by the lust and newness only a stranger could offer. She’d been reluctant to ask if he had a girlfriend because she didn’t want the answer to be yes.

Noah walked to the other side of the kitchen and opened a cabinet.

“Would you care for a drink?”

Ah yes, a little something to loosen up her inhibitions. “I’d love something. Whatever you have will be fine.”

“Well, I stocked up for the holidays,” he said and moved around a few bottles. “Thought I’d be prepared. How about a martini?”

“Sounds great.”

She watched him mix the drink with ease and pour them into a couple glasses, complete with green olives on a toothpick.

He handed the glass to her. “Enjoy. It’s my specialty.”

Sophie took a sip and let the liquid slide down her throat. “This is delicious. Is there anything you don’t do well?”

“Sing, so please don’t ask me to torture you or my neighbors that way.”

She laughed. “I can’t sing either.” When her glass was empty he took it from her.

“Care for another?”

Aware of the growing desire for him, she thought it best to stop at one. At least for now. “Maybe later. So I’m curious, what would you like to do if you weren’t driving the cab?”

Noah set their glasses on the counter and put his hands in his pockets. “I don’t really know. I never made a solid plan. I’ve been a go-with-the-flow kind of guy.”

“Do you regret that?”

“Not at all. You never know what’s going to be around the next corner. I guess that’s why I like driving. I could follow a map where the streets are all marked out, or I can take different streets and enjoy the adventure.” He paused and shook his head. “That probably sounded dumb.”

“No. I like how carefree you are. I wish I could be with you. Err, like you. Carefree I mean.” Heat flushed her face.

He stared at her long and hard, and she swore he was going to kiss her. She moved a half inch from the counter just in case he decided to follow through. Even the soft
tick tick tick
of the clock on the wall started to sound like
kiss kiss kiss
to her.

Noah leaned in and she closed her eyes. She willed herself to not burp or hiccup at the same moment his lips made comment. What she hadn’t counted on was the untimely interruption of the telephone. Its loud incessant ring just about did her in.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled and reached past her. “I should grab that.”

“Sure.”

Noah answered in his thigh melting voice and paced from the kitchen to the dining room and back. As he talked, she took a moment to gather her composure. That had been close and much as she wanted it, she didn’t have any business kissing another guy right now. The timing was all wrong and she was confused about the way she felt. Not about Kyle, but about Noah. She knew it wasn’t love – it was too soon for an emotion
that
involved and complex, but the desire to know the way he felt with his arms wrapped around her was strong. It scared her. Had she become so cold, unfeeling woman who could go through men like a disposable razor? Once they stopped working it was easier to toss and snag a new one?

It surprised her that she hadn’t broken down yet. She’d had three long-term relationships prior to meeting Kyle, and each one had ended painfully with a few buckets worth of tears. Though never for very long. Sophie thought she’d gleaned enough experience to not get involved in another flop, but somewhere along the way she’d put her blinders on. Kyle’s infidelity didn’t even phase her, and to her that spoke volumes.

How much had she really wanted to get married? She struggled with the question while she watched Noah walk back and forth. His legs were strong and he had a hell of a sexy gait. Maybe she’d been so infatuated with Mr. Steel Eyes that it had tempered her usual response to ending a relationship.

Come midnight she was certain reality would hit her and she’d be feeling miserable, drowning her sorrows with one good shot of whiskey after another. Worst of all, she wouldn’t have a kiss at midnight.

Since the age of sixteen, she’d always had a kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve. The fact she wouldn’t this time bothered her more than she cared to admit. It wasn’t about not being able to handle life without the proverbial boyfriend, but that she was single without wanting to be. Not that a kiss would solve all her problems, but it sure would feel nice. She’d never been alone in that small space of a moment where one year ended and a new one began, and the thought made her shudder.

Sophie sat on the couch and ran her hand along the soft suede of the armrest. If only the phone hadn’t rung, she might’ve known what Noah tasted like. The softness of his lips against hers. The tickle of his hair against her face. And maybe those wicked images in her mind would play out.

Noah joined her on the couch, sitting just a little further away than she cared for.

“That was Tate,” he said as if she warranted an explanation of his calls. “He wanted you to know he was very sorry for what he said and hopes you’ll forgive him someday.”

Sophie waved her hand. “Tell him I already have.” Hell, she’d already forgotten about the whole hot mess episode. Sort of.

“Would you like another drink?”

She grabbed her purse and set it on the coffee table. “I better not if I want to get my speech done.”

“Good point. While you do that, I’m going to read a book. That way I’ll keep quiet. If you want, I can read in my room.”

“No, here’s good,” she said a bit too quickly. He’d distract her regardless where he was. At least in here she wouldn’t feel alone.

He grinned. “Cool.”

“But you’re still going out later, right?” She folded her arms.

“Nah. I don’t mind staying in. Like you, I’ve gone out all the other years, so it’s not a big deal to miss it this once.”

She sighed. His whole night had been changed around because of her. “Please don’t change your plans because I’m here, or I’ll feel terrible and never get any work done.”

“It’s fine,” he replied. “We can watch it on the television if you’d like.”

Sophie frowned. Watch it on television when she was in the same city throwing the ultimate bash? It didn’t seem right.

She watched him take a seat in the recliner, open a book and prop his ankle over his other knee.

Stubborn man
, she thought. She opened her purse and pulled out the worn and folded paper with the speech she’d been working on. Right away she hated what she wrote. It didn’t sound anything like her and made it seem like she was trying too hard. She scribbled out a bunch of words and made rewrites on the sides. Much as she tried, she couldn’t focus on the words. All her years of study blanked in her mind.

Sophie glanced over at Noah and smiled. She liked the way his lips moved while he read. He was a handsome man. Good looks, firm chin, and she liked the way he absently ran a hand through his hair before he turned the pages. She had a good mind to get up, snatch his book out of his hands and straddle him. His very presence distracted her, and she wondered what kind of lover he was. Kyle had left her unsatisfied for so long she quit thinking about her needs. Knowing the way Noah acted around her, she figured him for an incredible lover. If only she had the courage to find out.

Sophie tried to return her attention to the speech, but it didn’t take her long to figure out that it would have to wait. She had a chance to be in Times Square and she couldn’t pass it up. More importantly, she couldn’t let Noah pass it up on account of her.

“Okay, you’ve convinced me,” she said and let her paper fall to the table. “We’re going out.”

He flashed her puppy-dog eyes. “But I’ve behaved and not said anything more about it.”

“You’ve said plenty, in that mysterious way of yours,” she corrected.

Noah jutted out his chin. “Damn, I really
am
good.”

They laughed in unison. Sophie couldn’t get over the comfort she felt around a guy she hardly knew. Each minute with him made her want to learn more.

“Did you want to change your clothes? It’s going to be cold,” he suggested. “Colder than you know.”

She shrugged. “I’ll be okay. My coat is plenty warm. And I’ll wear gloves.”

“Spoken like someone used to West Coast winters,” he teased. “Seriously, you’ll freeze.”

Sophie didn’t want to open a single suitcase right now. She didn’t want any reminders or sentimental items to sway her mood. The coat and gloves would have to do. “If I complain how cold I am, you can say that you told me so,” she offered and watched his lips curve upward.

“Deal.”

Sophie slipped into her coat and stepped outside. While she waited for Noah to lock his door she enjoyed a nice view of his ass. The pants he wore were just tight enough to appreciate. She kept behind him as he walked toward the car, but somehow she missed the part where he’d stopped and she ran right into him. Heat warmed her neck and face.

“Sorry,” she gasped.

“Maybe you shouldn’t stare at my ass,” he pointed out with a sly smirk.

Great, he’d caught her. So much for tact. To save herself further embarrassment she veered off the subject.

“Thanks for letting me crash at your place, in case I didn’t say that earlier. It means more to me than you know.”

“I couldn’t let you sleep just anywhere,” he said. Like a gentleman he opened her door for her. “It wouldn’t have been right.”

She got into the car and put on her seatbelt. “And it wouldn’t have been right if I’d let you miss New Year’s in Times Square.”

Noah started up the car and they headed out. He knew parking anywhere near the square would be a nightmare, but he had a place all to himself thanks to a friend of Tate’s. Being a cabbie had its perks, though tonight it seemed even more so. He didn’t know what changed her mind on going out, but he’d make sure she had fun.

“What do you think of New York so far?” Right away he was sorry he asked. What the hell was she supposed to say back to that?

“So far I’m impressed with the cab drivers and Greek food,” she replied. “Everything else is too soon to tell.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. That could have been the deal breaker. He’d need to think first before he spoke or risk spoiling her good time. “I think over time you’ll end up with a long list of things you like.”

“
If
I stay,” she said.

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“It will depend on if I get this museum job or not. The job I originally came here for isn’t my first choice and because…circumstances have changed I may decide to go back to Oregon.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“But if you get the museum job, you’ll stay?” His voice sounded far too hopeful for his liking.

“I believe so,” she replied, not sounding sure at all. “It depends on how the presentation goes. So, we’ll have to wait and see.”

Noah didn’t want to think about her going back. They were just getting to know one another, and she wouldn’t be easy to forget. He didn’t expect to fall for a woman so fast, but Sophie Kurtz made him sit up and take notice. In a very good way. He looked over at her bundled in her coat, knowing full well she would be cold and not say a word. Of course there were other ways to keep her warm.